Now or Never?
It's the time of year where Judgment House is rolling and the "turn or burn" message gets a lot of attention! Last year it was intense enough that some of my junior high kids cried, but this year I was very pleasantly surprised at more message than scare tactics (no dude with a chainsaw cutting someone in half while telling people to "repent or die!"; never really had that but thought it sounded like the idea some have in mind).
The idea that students need to make a choice now or face eternal consequences is absolutely true and important, but the angle they took this year resonated with me. Instead of a basic presentation of how some people think they're good enough (such an incredibly powerful lie of the enemy!), some are bad and don't care, and some are saved this year they hit on a theme that is often missing in many students lives. Yes, their choice today matters, but the choices they make throughout the rest of their lives is just as important! In "hell," the devil tells visitors to JH that, "he really likes people like you; you say you believe but you never tell anyone or do anything about it." That is more true than we care to admit!
Most of us live our Christianity like Salem Alliance's (an actual church!) slogan: "A weekend church." However, many of us don't even make it a weekend church, but rather an hour Sunday and Wednesday church (or maybe as many as 3-5 hours if you're hardcore). What does that say about how much we value our relationship with (or if we even have one at all!) Jesus? I've asked students for years to evaluate their time and where they spend it because it is the clearest indicator of where their values are placed (you never get more time but you can earn more cash!). If you took your time and figured out where you choose to spend most off your time, what does that say about you? Are you more interested in a boyfriend/girlfriend than God? Do you spend more time playing video games than talking to God? Think about what our time tells us, really. It indicates what we worship (because worship is "giving worth to something") and what we value most.
The question is this: how much do you care about others and how much value do you place on God? In other words, are you who you say you are? Or is there something else altogether going on in your life than what you say you believe? The time is now, because we're not guaranteed tomorrow. Who are you really?
The idea that students need to make a choice now or face eternal consequences is absolutely true and important, but the angle they took this year resonated with me. Instead of a basic presentation of how some people think they're good enough (such an incredibly powerful lie of the enemy!), some are bad and don't care, and some are saved this year they hit on a theme that is often missing in many students lives. Yes, their choice today matters, but the choices they make throughout the rest of their lives is just as important! In "hell," the devil tells visitors to JH that, "he really likes people like you; you say you believe but you never tell anyone or do anything about it." That is more true than we care to admit!
Most of us live our Christianity like Salem Alliance's (an actual church!) slogan: "A weekend church." However, many of us don't even make it a weekend church, but rather an hour Sunday and Wednesday church (or maybe as many as 3-5 hours if you're hardcore). What does that say about how much we value our relationship with (or if we even have one at all!) Jesus? I've asked students for years to evaluate their time and where they spend it because it is the clearest indicator of where their values are placed (you never get more time but you can earn more cash!). If you took your time and figured out where you choose to spend most off your time, what does that say about you? Are you more interested in a boyfriend/girlfriend than God? Do you spend more time playing video games than talking to God? Think about what our time tells us, really. It indicates what we worship (because worship is "giving worth to something") and what we value most.
The question is this: how much do you care about others and how much value do you place on God? In other words, are you who you say you are? Or is there something else altogether going on in your life than what you say you believe? The time is now, because we're not guaranteed tomorrow. Who are you really?
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